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CCAG Ministries

The Lord's Prayer

by Janice Brandli

Matthew 6:9-13
- "This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be
your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we also
have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from the evil one.

Luke 11:2-4
- "He said to them, "When you pray, say: " 'Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into
temptation.' "

Jesus has given us four instructions to guide us in our praying:

1 - We must pray in secret before we pray in public (It is not wrong to
pray in public in the assembly or when blessing food or seeking God’s help)

2 - We must pray sincerely (God does not answer insincere prayers)

3 - We must pray in God’s will (If we put God’s concerns first, THEN we can
bring our own needs)

4 - We must pray, having a forgiving spirit towards others

***The important thing about prayer is not simply getting an answer, but
being the kind of person whom God can trust with an answer

Warren Wiersbe said “Prayer prepares us for the proper use of His answer”
(If we know our needs, and if we voice it to God, trusting Him for His
provision, then we will make better use of the answer than if God forced it
on us without our asking)

The “Lord’s Prayer” is one of the most famous passages in the Bible. Many
people know the words by heart. A very important question is: how does the
Lord’s Prayer affect you and me in our daily lives?

- Religion in the time of Jesus had largely become an outward form. That is
why it weighed so heavily on Jesus’ heart to warn His disciples. Matthew
6:5 says
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love
to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets,
that they may be seen by men.”
How different that was from the prayer that the disciples heard when Jesus
prayed to His heavenly Father! Since childhood they had often recited
prayers that they had learned by heart, but Jesus still had to teach them
how to really pray.

- Jesus didn’t teach His disciples the Lord’s Prayer as a mantra to recite.
How awful that for many people these days this prayer once again has become
a form that they hardly think about. May this not be so for you and me! Let
the contents of the Lord’s Prayer really be a prayer from the heart; a
prayer that helps us to love God, to live to His glory and to do His will
in all things, every day of our lives.

- The disciples were with Jesus all the time. They were with Him when He
went to pray and heard his prayers to God, as well. Yet they still weren’t
sure how they were supposed to do it. So Jesus gave them the Lord’s Prayer.

- Before Jesus teaches the prayer, He says that we should keep our prayers
simple. God listens to us no matter if our prayers are long or short. Even
if you don’t have the right words, God knows what we mean without having to
use fancy words. He said this especially to the people that used to stand
on the street corners praying, so that everyone would think how great they
were at praying. He wants us to pray in a quiet place with our own words.
We need to tell Him our needs, give Him thanks, praise Him, and tell Him
what we’re sorry for, repent and ask for forgiveness.

- Jon Courson says: Jesus encourages us to be short and concise in our
prayers. God is not impressed by how long you pray. Just be honest and open
when you pray.

At first, this prayer might be a little hard to understand, but let’s go
through it and try to explain what it means.

- This prayer takes a mere 15-20 seconds to say, yet is filled with deep
meaning. This prayer perfectly summarizes our faith and what is expressed
in the Gospels. On his reflection on this prayer, St. Cyprian of Carthage,
a third century bishop wrote, “My dear friends, the Lord’s Prayer contains
many great mysteries of our faith. In these few words there is great
spiritual meaning, for this summary of divine teaching contains all of our
prayers and petitions.”

- Most catholics have recited this prayer hundreds or even thousands of
times, however often they have never thought about the true meaning of each
line. It is important to remind ourselves to stop and reflect on the words
we are saying. We have taken a closer look at the lord's prayer line by
line below to help people better understand its true purpose.

- Notice that there are no singular pronouns in the Lord’s prayer. It is
written with plural pronouns.

After the initial address to the Father, the prayer itself is composed of
seven petitions. There are three “thy-petitions” (thy name, thy kingdom,
thy will) followed by four “us-petitions” (give us, forgive us, lead us not
and deliver us). In order to better understand the Lord’s Prayer, it is
important to briefly examine each petition.

"Our Father, who art in heaven"
-- We need to always acknowledge first and foremost who we are talking
to. The word “Father” is “Abba” meaning “Papa.” He (God) is our
heavenly Father. We need to address Him with respect just as we should
address our earthly father with respect. He is the only true God who
created all things in this universe, heaven and earth, including
ourselves. The God who has all power and all wisdom. He who knows you
and me through and through. God wants to be our Father! Truly a father
who loves us and cares for us. And when we pray, we talk to Him and He
listens to us. He loves us and we need to show our love for Him.

- We start this prayer by praying to our Heavenly Father who lives in
heaven professing our core religious belief that God is our heavenly
Father—the one who is all knowing and all powerful. Scripture scholar John
Meier explains that in God’s kingdom, we don’t live as isolated individuals
but “we experience God’s fatherhood as members of the church, the family of
Jesus the Son.” This should help remind us that we recognize all those
around us as children of God and treat them accordingly.

- When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he did not teach them to pray
“My Father,” but rather stressed “Our Father.” This reminds us that we are
God’s sons and daughters together in Christ, not as isolated individuals.
It is only as the body of Christ that we can pray to God as Father. When we
call God “Father,” it is a reminder for us to live as children in relation
with God. In teaching us to call God “Father,” Jesus also tells us that we
have the privilege to call God by the same name he used in his intimate
relationship with the Father.

- He wants us to talk to Him just like we talk to our own father. God is
our loving Father, and we are his special children.

"Hallowed be your name"
-- We must see Him as being holy, sanctified, consecrated; worthy of
praise, honor and glory!

- In this first petition, we are asking that God’s name would be “hallowed”
or sanctified. Objectively speaking, God’s name is already holy, but the
prayer is asking that God make his name holy to all people through his
works and deeds. Isaiah 57:15 says “For this is what the high and lofty One
says - he who lives forever, whose name is holy” Revelation 15:4 says “Who
will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are
holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts
have been revealed.”

- God’s name is holy and special. Even though God wants us to call him our
Father, he is still God, and He is to be respected and honored.

- Many people use the name of God so very lightly. Maybe they sing about
Him in a four-part harmony. But if in your day-to-day life you don’t live a
life that is fitting for God at all, then His name isn’t being hallowed, or
sanctified. God’s name is profaned if you use it without living to His
honor and glory. In everything you do and say, do you think: “Is this to
the glory of God and His name? Is my heavenly Father pleased when He looks
down from heaven and sees how, among all those millions of people, I long
to live to His glory?” If your answer is yes, then His name is being
hallowed.

- When we say “hallowed be Thy name,” we are not only telling God “I
recognize that you are holy,” but more importantly, we are asking that His
name be recognized by everyone throughout the world as being the ultimate
holy power—that one day (sooner rather than later) all will know Him to be
righteous, powerful, and everyone’s one true God.

"Your kingdom come"
- We acknowledge His coming kingdom. We pray that Christ will soon
return and establish His earthly kingdom where we will reign with Him
for eternity.

- This petition has a two-fold meaning. First, we are asking that God’s
kingdom (where there is only goodness, honesty, and love for one another)
surround us in our everyday life. Secondly, we are praying for the
fulfillment of the Lord’s promise that He will return at the end of time
and grant us eternal life.

- We should be praying for the coming of the kingdom of God here and now in
our everyday lives. At the same time, we should also be praying for
Christ’s glorious return at the end of time and the final coming of the
reign of God.

- If we think about where God lives, we know it will be indescribably
wonderful. The Bible says that in heaven there will be no more crying, God
will live with us, and there will be no hunger or hurt there. Rev 21: 4 says “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” This part
of the prayer says let God’s kingdom come and let God’s will be done on
earth, both just like it is in heaven. This means we are praying that
people would live in peace and love one another, the way it is in heaven.
It reminds us that we should be living the way God wants us to every single
day.

- “I want to; I think … If only I can enjoy and have fun. If only I get
honor and money and attention.” How distant that is from the Lord’s Prayer!
Think of your heavenly Father who so badly wants to give you a blessed,
rich and interesting life. And that is exactly what it will be if He
becomes the king in your life. A good, wise, just and loving king who wants
only the best for you. That’s why He so badly wants you to give Him the
power in your life. If He is the king in our lives, then we will get a
kingdom of righteousness and peace and joy in us—already now, while we are
here on earth. To the glory of God and a blessing to the people around us.
And one day He will reign on the entire earth. Then there will be 1000
years of peace and happiness where there is no longer any war

- God’s Spirit and the flesh are at odds within our earthly bodies,
spiritual battles within us between good and evil that arise when a sinful
thought tempts you. When you have decided to only do God’s will and are
being led by the Spirit, you will experience complete peace and joy

- Sin is anything that goes against God’s will and His laws. To commit sin
is to transgress or disobey these laws. The lust to sin dwells in human
nature. In other words, it is contaminated and motivated by the sinful
tendencies that dwell in all people as a result of the fall into sin and
disobedience in the garden of Eden.

That is why we should long for eternity in which God will be the King.

"Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"
-- We need to be praying for His will to be done in our lives, so that
we might bring glory to Him here on earth as He is also glorified in
heaven. We need to do things His way, instead of selfishly doing our
own things to satisfy our own desires.

- God asks that our will be conformed to his divine will. When Jesus was
praying to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, he also used the words
“thy will be done.”
Luke 22:42
ESVSaying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup
from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thy will be done.”

- When we pray “thy will be done” we need to commit ourselves to taking up
our cross and following Jesus.

- We pray these words asking for God’s grace to move us to do His will
throughout our life. That means doing all the things that will please our
Father—even the difficult things, whether it’s something big such as moving
an elderly parent into our home or volunteering our time once a week at the
soup kitchen, to something as small as giving up a parking space or not
calling a best friend to spread some juicy gossip.

- The angels know how terrible it is for God when people live according to
their own will and practice sin. They know how much God loves that which is
noble, good, pure and righteous. The angels in heaven love God and
therefore always carry out His will gladly and quickly. So Jesus taught His
disciples to start doing God’s will here on earth in just the same way.
That is absolutely not something that just happens automatically. Sometimes
it is a struggle to do God’s will here on earth every day just as it is
done in heaven. But it is definitely worth it to fight

"Give us today our daily bread"
-- We only have today. We are not promised tomorrow. We should ask our
Father each day to provide for our needs, just as He promised in His
Holy Word. James 4:2 says “You do not have because you do not ask God.”
Of course, we must first know God through His Son, our personal Lord
and Savior. If we don't know Christ, God won't acknowledge this request
for daily provision.

- In this fourth petition, “give us” expresses our trust in our heavenly
Father. “Our daily bread” refers to our earthly nourishment that is
necessary to physically sustain us throughout the day and the Bread of
Life, which represents the Word of God and the Body of Christ, that
spiritually nourishes us.

- Here we are recognizing that all things we need come to us from God. We
are asking that God continue to give us not only the food we need for
nourishment but only what we need. Keep in mind that these are the things
that we cannot live without. We don’t need the internet or material things
to survive. Those are the things that we want; we need food, water and
shelter. We ask God to provide for us because we love and trust Him.

- Communion was a key component of the early church. Luke 22:19 says “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it
to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of
me.” We are to be constantly fed and refreshed in Him.

“Forgive us our debts (or trespasses), as we forgive our
debtors (those who trespass against us…”

This is a difficult one. It may be easy for us to ask God to forgive us our
“trespasses” or sins, but God in his infinite wisdom teaches us that in
order for Him to forgive our wrongdoings, we must first forgive those who
have hurt us. T
his speaks about forgiveness among our associates, neighbors, friends,
family and loved ones. Any and all persons in our lives that we come in
contact with in social or business situations are included as well.
God isn’t being difficult, rather He’s teaching us that when there is
bitterness and anger in our hearts, there’s no room for His love to fill
our hearts. How can we ask God to be merciful and forgive our sins, if
we’re holding a grudge or refuse to forgive someone who’s wronged us?
Forgiving someone is often easier said than done. Only God can give us the
strength to do it through prayer and the Holy Spirit.
If we can't forgive others, how can we expect our heavenly Father to
forgive us?
We acknowledge that the Father’s mercy and forgiveness are able to
penetrate our hearts to the extent that we are able to forgive our enemies.

C.S. Lewis was once asked, “What is found in Christianity which is not
found in any other religion?” Upon which he replied, “The forgiveness of
sins.”

"Lead us not into temptation" -- The definition of temptation is:
the desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise; desire,
urge, itch, impulse, inclination, seduction, attraction, draw or pull

In the Bible the word temptation
primarily denotes: a trial in which man has a free choice of being faithful
or unfaithful to God; only secondarily does it signify allurement or
seduction to sin.

We need to ask our heavenly Father to help us recognize every evil
thing, every temptation before us. We need help to stay focused on our
Father and see the evil that we might fall into, for what it is really
is, a trap set by Satan to bring us down to his level.

- Temptation and sin go hand in hand. When we come face to face with
temptation, it can sometimes be difficult to resist. That’s why we need our
Father to set up the road blocks and lead us far from the path of
temptation.

- Some people wonder why we would ask God not to lead us into temptation.
In James 1:13 says “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.”
For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;”. Therefore,
in this petition, we are asking that God does not allow us to take the path
that leads to sin. We are praying to avoid the near occasion of sin.

- It is sometimes very tempting to do something you’re not supposed to.
This part reveals that we need to ask God to help us to know the right
thing to do, to protect us against the evil that is in the world, and keep
us away from it.

"But deliver us from the evil one"
- In this final petition, we are asking God to protect us from evil.
The “evil one” in this petition is not an abstract evil, but actually
“refers to a person, Satan, the Evil One, the angel who opposes God”.
While we acknowledge the reality of the devil, we place our trust in
Christ and his definitive victory over evil on the cross.

- We need to ask our Father to help us steer clear of that liar and
deceiver. We need to ask God to help us see clearly the path that He wants
each of us to walk.

- Evil is an unfortunate reality in our world. The devil is always trying
to tempt us and makes it his full-time job to look for ways to steer us
from the right path and onto the wrong one. 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be
vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about,
seeking whom he may devour:

The devil has no power over God and when we pray to God for protection
against all that is evil, He will shield us— always. We need God’s
protection daily.

“Amen!”
-
After praying all of these petitions, we end by affirming our belief in
all that we have prayed by saying “Amen” or “So be it!”

Lord's Prayer has a glorious ending!
Some commentators believe that the end of the Lord's Prayer -
"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever"
- was added by someone other than the original writer. Whether that's true
or not, this last phrase simply emphasizes more praise and glory to God the
Father - so it's absolutely biblical… a glorious ending to a model prayer
to God!

- For Yours is the kingdom means that Heaven will last forever and will
always be God’s. God also has all the power and all the glory FOREVER! It
should make us happy knowing that God will never die, and He is the
strongest and greatest. With God we will always win! Amen means “so be it.”
We are asking for this to be the way things are.

Anyone can read the Lord’s Prayer, but it’s important to think about what
you are saying. When you pray “give us this day your daily bread,” think
about all the things you have to be thankful for and how God has given you
everything you need, or things you need to ask for or pray for others. When
you pray “forgive us our debts,” ask forgiveness for those things you did
wrong.

Chuck Smith says in his book Biblical Counseling, “The real purpose of
prayer is to align our will with God’s, and surely that is the most
important thing—That God’s will be done. He never intended prayer as a
means to get our will accomplished here on earth. Prayer opens the door for
God to do a glorious work in your life and in those around you. A dynamic
prayer life softens hearts, moves mountains, and brings you into a deepened
relationship with God.”

In closing, prayer is our special way of talking to God, so remember to
pray as many times as you can. God loves you and wants to know everything
about you and how you’re doing every day.